Etihad Airways expands India – UAE services

Abu Dhabi, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Etihad Airways today announced the expansion of scheduled services between Abu Dhabi and India as strategic partner Jet Airways unveiled new routes and additional frequencies to further strengthen their partnership in one of the world’s fastest growing aviation markets.

From early 2017, the two airlines will expand their services
between the United Arab Emirates and India by adding 28 weekly flights [1] and three
further Indian cities. These will enhance connections between India and the
rest of the world though Etihad Airways’ convenient Abu Dhabi hub, and
complement Jet Airways’ non-stop services to other cities.

Etihad Airways currently operates 175 weekly flights between Abu
Dhabi and 11 Indian cities. Together, Etihad Airways and Jet Airways offer 252
weekly flights between Abu Dhabi and 15 cities across India. With the
newly-announced flights, the airlines’ cooperative services will cover 18
Indian cities with 280 flights each week.

Etihad Airways will launch a fourth daily flight between Abu Dhabi
and Kozhikode on 26 March 2017, capitalising on the strong traffic flows
between the state of Kerala and the UAE, and beyond. The additional capacity will
allow the partnership to better serve the important southern India market.

Etihad Airways will also double its frequency between Abu Dhabi
and Ahmedabad in the western state of Gujarat, from 1 February 2017 with the
launch of a new daily service.

Earlier today, Jet Airways announced a number of changes to its
operations between India and Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab
Emirates.

These include the launch of daily flights between Tiruchirappalli
(Trichy), in the state of Tamil Nadu, and Abu Dhabi on 1 February 2017,
offering travellers another option from southern India.

Jet Airways will also introduce daily services from Kannur, the fourth Kerala gateway to
Abu Dhabi. It also plans daily services from the northern Indian city of
Chandigarh to Abu Dhabi, which will benefit travellers to and from the state of
Punjab. The two routes are due to begin in the second half of 2017, subject to
the completion of operational readiness at these airports.

From 15 January 2017, Jet Airways will introduce a second daily
service between New Delhi and Abu Dhabi. With Etihad Airways already operating
three flights a day between the two capital cities, the enhanced operation will
give guests a wider choice of departure times.

In
2015, Etihad Airways and Jet Airways together carried a record 3.3 million
passengers between Abu Dhabi and India – a 63 per cent
increase over the 2 million passengers flown in 2014. The combined operation
enjoys the biggest share of passenger traffic to and from India, one of the
world’s biggest economies.

Etihad
Airways contributed 717,966 guests to Jet Airways’ flights for the 12 months to
August 2016, a 57 per cent increase on the same period last year. And Jet
Airways contributed 396,288 guests to Etihad Airways’ flights over the same
period, a 33 per cent increase on the corresponding period last year.

James Hogan, Etihad Aviation Group President and Chief Executive
Officer, said: “Today’s announcement reflects how we
have been working together to enhance our services to give the travelling
public more and better choices by using each other's networks.

“Our
partnership with Jet Airways has gone from strength to strength. Sharing
resources and reaching decisions together are key to our success. Jet Airways is Etihad Airways’ leading equity partner in
terms of revenue and passenger contribution, and this expansion is
indicative of the years of friendship, strong bilateral
relationship, and economic, trade and cultural ties enjoyed between India and
the UAE.”

Since launching flights from Abu Dhabi to India in September 2004
with services to Mumbai, Etihad Airways rapidly increased its presence across
India by introducing 10 cities and increasing frequency on many routes,
including thrice-daily flights on six routes, and deploying its flagship Airbus
A380 to Mumbai in May 2016.

The
airline’s current Indian destinations from Abu Dhabi are: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru,
Chennai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Mumbai and
Thiruvananthapuram. Jet Airways offers the additional Indian cities of Pune,
Lucknow, Goa and Mangalore, as well as numerous domestic connections.

Etihad Airways’ hub at Abu Dhabi International Airport serves as
a convenient air bridge between India and rest of the world, offering
consumers ease of transfer and more travel options through multiple frequencies
from across India to Abu Dhabi and beyond to destinations in Europe, Middle
East, Africa, North and South America. In India, the strength of Jet Airways’
domestic network, offers a wide choice of connections across the country.

The
cargo market to and from India will also be enhanced through the additional
capacity, supporting the 14 weekly freighters operated by Etihad Airways Cargo
to five cities across the country – New Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and
Chennai.